This month if you find yourself fishing on Deerpoint, I’d suggest you concentrate you efforts in very shallow water and keep an eye out for spawning bass. On this lake, when you get even the slightest warming trend, bass will move very shallow very quickly.
It’s hard to beat a stick bait, like a Gambler Ace or a Senko, cast to shallow grass where bass are spawning. Often, when bass are locked on the beds for the spawn, they have little interest in chasing baits, but when one falls slowly into their bed, they get real nasty at the unwelcome intruder. Stay away from your target areas, make long casts and slowly drag this bait and allow it to fall into the pockets formed in the grass. I typically rig with a 5/0 EWG Gamakatsu hook tied on 15 pound fluorocarbon line. Often you will barely feel the strike, so pay especially close attention to your line. Usually it just starts to move and that will be the only indication a fish has your bait.
If you find fish attacking slow moving baits very aggressively, try casting a buzzing frog like a Zoom Horny Toad or a Gambler Cane Toad, and buzz it over the shallow grass. Keep this bait moving and cover a lot of water. The fish you’re hunting with this technique are the ones that have moved up, but have not started to spawn, and the ones that have finished their spawn and are guarding fry or just hanging out shallow looking for an easy meal.
A floating jerkbait twitched slowly along grass edges and inside pockets will also be a good bet. The Bagley Bang O Lure or a Smithwick Rattlin Rogue fit this bill nicely. Rig these with monofilament and keep them on the surface with slow occasional twitches and pauses. Keep your eye on the lure because if you get distracted drinking coffee or eat a snack, you may look up to find it gone.
Good fishing and God bless.
CAPT. RANDY “C-NOTE” CNOTA
C-note Charters
Panama City, FL
cnotecharters.com
(229) 834-7880